Tool-actuating device.



Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

3 SHEETS--SHEET l.

T. OFFICER & M. P. HOLMES.

TQOL ACTUATING DEVICE.-

APPLlcAloN FILED Nov.9.19oa. 1,275,171.

Inve

W m M message.'

T. OFFICER' & M. P. HOLMES.

TooL ACTUATING DEVICE. APPLICATIONl FILED NOV. 9,1908.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.l

T. oFHcER L M. P. HOLMES.

TOOL ACTUATING DEVICE.

lAPPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. |908.

1,275,1 71. Patented Aug. 6,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Inwewo Wks: Wzl/inessce Thomas jfrlcev. 55am/ce n Momffalsll? Olmes, mo. by f? ms mum-s psu-p5 m pnamuma.. wAsmNc nm, o. c.

. UNITED STATES EATEN EET@ THOMAS OEEICER AND MORRIS I". HOLMES, OE CLAREM'ONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGN- ORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOVSULLIVAN MACHINERY COMPANY, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OE MASSACHUSETTS.

OE BOSTON,

ToOL-ACTUATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Y Patented Allg. 6, 1918.

Application ledvNovember 9, 1908. Serial No. 461,622.

To all whom t may concern:

Be 1t known that we, THOMAS OFFICER and MORRIS P. HOLMES, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Claremont, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Tool-Actuating Devices, of which the following description, in connection with f Suitable form, herein shown as an upright the accompanying drawings, is a Specification, like figures on the drawings representing like parts. p

Our invention relates to tool-actuating devices, being more particularly concerned:

with those devices employed for imparting reoiprocation to an impact member, such as a percussive tool of the kind employed for mining or stone cutting. Our invention will be best understood b reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying illustration of one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims;

In the drawings: lFigure 1 is a central, longitudinal section, in elevation, showing a mining machine or coal cutter embodying one form of our invention;

Fig. 2 1s a sectional-elevation of the power transmitting mechanism, 'showing certainV coal cutter there illustrated, as lis usual in this class of devices, is mountedV upon a wheel or truck 1, the latter supporting suit-- able operating mechanism which is adapted toreciprocate the tool rod or bar 2, having:

connected at its outer end/a suitable and usual form of cuttingltool, not herein shown.y

Preferably, upon the frame fof the machine is mounted a driving motor 3 of any electric motor, to `which current may be supplied from anyy suitable source by conductors (not shown). This motor is provided with an upright armature shaft 4, tor the lower end of which is'secured a worm 5 meshing with the worm gear 6 on the transverse countershaft 7, the latter'journaled .in bearings carried by thermachine frame. The end of the countershaft carries a crank arm 8 (Fig. 2) Vjointed by the connecting rod 9 to a somewhat longer crank arm l() on the parallel rock shaft 11, so that, as the gear 6 is'rotated by the driving motor, the connecting rod and crank arm 10 are given a rec-iprocatory movement acting to rock `the shaft 11 and the pair of gear sectors 12 which are fixedly secured thereto.

, Meshing with each ofthe gear sectors 12 isa rack 13, suitably guided in the'framework and secured to a driving rod 14, these two reciprocatory driving rods acting to reciprocate the tool rod 2 by interposed connections. Such' connections in. the illustrated form areas follows:

Rigidly attached to the machine frame is a main outer cylinder 15 providing a closed chamber between which and an inner liningor shell 16 there is adapted to reciprocate a packed annular drivingor working pistonv 17, the latter being connected to the ends of thevsaid actuating rods 14 which, for this purpose, pass through suitably packed glands 18in the rear end wall of the said cylinder. C

Within the shell or lining 16 there is further provided thedriven or toolvpiston 19 connected to the piston rod 20 and the tool rodl 2, and adapted to be reciprocated by the air or other pressure fluid alternately displaced and compressed at opposite end ofthe outer or working piston 17.

VFor this purpose there is provided, betweenv the forward end of the main cylinder 15 and the forward end of the tool cylinder, free communication V through the passages 21,,so that, asthe working piston is reciprocated,.the fluid atthe forwardV end thereof'is Vdisplaced and forced vinto the tool cylinder to ,drive'the tool` piston back, or withdrawnfrom the front ofy thetool piston to lower-the pressure thereat and facilitate the forward or working stroke ofthe tool. In

other words, the forward, wall ofthe working piston constitutes ya pulsating-wallA orA pulsating means, the forward and b'ackward movements thereof effecting av corresponding increase or` decrease inthe pressure of the working fluid at the frontjof the work- `ing piston tending to cause the pulsation of the latter in accordance with the pulsations of such wall.

,Mhilewe preferably provide free communication between the forward endv of the tool piston and the forwarder rpulsatingwva'll of the Working piston 17, so that there `is 1n effect interposed between the two an elastic fluid bodyonly, in order toproduce a quick andmore effectiveworkinj'gV stroke for the tool we have provided means 'for lfirst compressing themotiveiiuid 'and then delivering it after compression to the working or rear side of the tool piston to permitjthe sudden 'expansion thereof to cause the working stroke of the tool. For lthis -purposethe rear side orwall of the working piston constitutes a compressing means and fori this purpose communicates withthe rear sideof the tool piston through a passage 22, which, however, is opened for the passage of fluid to the tool piston only-nearthe close of the backward movement of' the 4working piston i and after the fluid at the back thereofhas been compressed to the required degree. `W hen the working piston has movedVj back suficiently far, the passage 22 is placed in communication with the rear ofthe-working piston through the port 23 formed in the walls of the piston. In'Fig; 1 the: piston port, as represented, is about to uncover the passage 22, whereupon the air compressed behind the working ypiston Vwill Aenter` the working end of the tool cylin'der'thrlough the said passage and there' expand to drive the piston vsuddenly and violently forward. vfllhe passage 22 is preferably provided with a check valve 2st opening toward the tool cylinder, so that the air cannot return through such passage, but, on the return stroke of the tool piston, such air, thenhexpanded, is expelled'froni theV end of the tool cylinder through the auxiliary passage 25 and the check valve 26, which latter opens directly into the end of the working cylinder.

:1n the apparatus as lescribed,. therefore, the working' piston on' its returnl stroke coinpresses the trapped air or'other `fluid-at itsrear end, while the recession of'tliefpulsating 'wallatits-forward end'lowers the pressure in front of the tool piston, making ready for theI subsequent working' stroke.

When the working piston has moved back faryenough to open the passage 22 tothe piston port-23, thehighly: compressed air enters-the rear of the tool "cylinderand, expanding, drives the tool piston suddenly forward; During Ithe succeeding for-ward stroke of the .working pistonl?, the -air `at the front thereof is driven into the front end of .the .tool cylinder, causing the return under the control-ofthe forwardpulsating walllofV the-working piston and tofcause the return of the tool piston, in the event that thetool sticks in the cut` andithe piston enters into the n cushion,v ythere is l provided a by-passage 27 leading fronrthe forward end of the working cylinder' tothe prolonged or cushioned portion of thetool-cylinder. 'Such by-.pa'ssage is closed-.by a'check valve'28 against the passage ofjair-fromvy the tool cylinder, whereby to maintain lthe cushion, such check' valve, however, yielding to Apermit the passage of air totheltool cylinder.

'The pressure fluiden'iployed at opposite ends of the- Working cylinder may be initially introduced at the pressure of the atmosphere, or be initially moreor less compressed to' strike a less elasticfb'lovv; 1f1

it is desired-to lemployian initially built up pressure, an auxiliary compressing-device may be employed for initially v'compressing the motive fluidfand supplying the leakage of such compressed `Huid-to the rapparatus. Inthe apparatus shown in Figyliwehave there disclosed anauxiliary* compressing device 29 comprising a piston and'eylinder, the former reciprocatedfby' the electric motor SO, andthe flatter provided with the inlet check valve 31 and the outlet check valve' 32. The latter isfadapted to discharge the compressed "air into al receiver, which latter has communication through ,the'pipe 34 witha passage 85 in the topjof the working cylinder 15. Thelpassage"35ii`s in open communication'with'the forwardend of the working cylinder through the plassage', and to equalize the pressure atopp'osi'teends ofthe working cylindei'the same-'may also beA placed, if 'the` coni'pressing 'device is vemployed, in communication withf thefrear of the working cylinder by means of the equalizing throttle yalve'?.

I-n the event-that it'qis desiredt'o operate the 'apparatus without' the initially fbiiilt up pressure,pthe ,pipe 34 may be disconnected from the cylinderand* the opening vinto which it enters plugged "upl An opening 38j at? the bottom l' of tlre cylinder', w'hieh' fisnorinally plugged up, is 'then opened'to'the atmosphere, so that on forwardmovement of the piston, such opening being'iuicove'red,

the atmosphericV air will` enter the rear of the said working cylinder, if the pressure therein is less than atmospheric. Such atmospheric air on rearward movement of the piston is compressed. Tov supply theair, when needed, to the forward end of the working cylinder, the valve 37 is provided with an axial passage 39 (Fig. 3) vwhich opens into the atmosphere through the end of said yalve, although normally closed by a plug threaded into the end when built up' pressure is employed. When the plug is Withdrawn, however, the passages 35 and 36 are opened to the atmosphere so that, on the return movement of the working piston, the atmospheric air may enter the working cylinder as soon as the port 36 is uncovered.

To prevent the tool rod 2 from turning, it is preferably caused to pass through a bushing 40 iXedly secured to the end of the cylinder, the said bushing holding the tool rod non-rotatively in any desired manner, as by the provision of a square or other noncircular cross-section for the tool rod, and

a similarly shaped bore in the bushing. To prevent the bushing from turning, the latter is clamped between the split walls 41 of the cylinder head and a key 42 is inserted between the split portions of the said walls, said key entering the bushing and being clamped rigidly against displacement by the same clamping bolts which clamp the bushing in place. Preferably, the key is provided with a tongue 43 which locks it in place and further prevents any longitudinal movement.

In use, the machine may be rendered ineffective for cutting at any desired time by,

means of the throttle valve 37. For this purpose the said valve is provided with a handle 44 (Fig. 3) which handle may be thrown backward to turn vthe valve and place the passage 35, leading to the forward end of the working cylinder, in communication with the passage 22, which latter is intermittently connected with the rear of the working cylinder while, at the same time, the rear of the tool cylinder is opened to the atmosphere through the central passage 39 in the valve. The effect of this is to cause all the air delivered from both ends of the working cylinder to be delivered to the forward end of the tool piston, thereby causing the latter to be returned to the rear end of the tool cylinder and there maintained until Y the employment of any other suitable pressure fluid medium.

"l/Vhile we haveherein Yshown and described for purposes of illustration one specific form of our -invention, it isv tobeunderstood that the detailsherein described are submitted for Villustrative purposes'only and that eX- tensive deviations maybe made Without departing vfrom the spirit of the invention.

l Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

' 1. An apparatus -of the class described having a reciprocatingl driving member, a driven member, a working cylinder, a piston movable within the same, a piston movable within the first named piston, said driven member being connected to one of said pistons and said driving member to the other, there being interposed between the driving piston and one side of the driven piston a fluid body only, means for compressing fluid at the opposite side of the driving piston and means for delivering the compressed uid to the remaining side of said driven piston and thereafter returning it to the driving piston.

2. An apparatus of the class described having a reciprocating driving member, a driven member, a working cylinder, a piston movable within the same, a piston movable within the last named piston, said driven member being connected to one of said. pistons and said driving member to the other, means cooperating with said driving piston for causing the compression of uid, means for delivering the same to said driven piston to move the latter through the eX- pansion of the compressed fluid vand for thereafter returning the expanded fluid toV the compressing side of the driving piston, and means for returning the driven piston.

3. In an apparatus for reciprocating an impact member, the combination with a Working piston, a cylinder containing the same, a tool piston, a cylinder for the tool piston contained concentrically within said working piston, means for reciprocating the working piston, passages connecting the forward end of the tool piston cylinder with one end of the working cylinder whereby the pulsations of fluid from the working piston may be conveyed to the forward side of the working cylinder, and means providing for the fiuid compressed by the opposite side of the working piston to be delivered to the rear side of the tool piston after its compression to drive it forward by eXpan- 4. In Aan apparatus for reciprocating an impact member, the combination withV a `working piston, a cylinder containing the` same, a tool piston, a cylinder for the tool piston contained concentrically within said working piston, means for reciprocating the working piston, passages connecting the forward end of the tool piston cylinder with oneend of the working cylinder whereby the pulsations of fluid from the working piston ina-y be conveyed to the forward side of the working cylinder, and ineans providing for the Huid Compressed by the opposite side of the working piston to be delivered to the rear side o the tool piston after its compression rto drive it forward by expansion, said tool piston cylinder being also provided 10 with a valved passage permitting the return of the expanded fluid at the rear of the tool piston to the working cylinder.

In testimony whereof, we havesigned our naines to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. y

THOMAS OFFICER. MORRIS P. HOLMES. fitnesses ALBERT BALL, HARVEY O. BERKEY.

Copies ofithis patent may be obtained for ve cents each, yby addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

